The company involved in a fatal crash that killed nine people last month in Pendleton Ore. is required to provide a detailed response to the ministry by Feb. 28.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure through its Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) branch initiated a safety audit after the crash in Oregon, which has resulted in the suspension.

Prior to the crash, the company had not been involved in any major accidents and had maintained a satisfactory road safety rating for the last three years, according to a statement issued Friday from the transportation ministry.

The audit findings revealed that the company was not meeting its administrative obligations under B.C. law regarding driver hours of service and pre-trip inspections.

Mi Joo Tour & Travel Ltd. is a registered B.C. company and was issued a National Safety Code Certificate in January 2007. In Canada, the National Safety Code program is administered by the provinces.

Under B.C.'s National Safety Code, companies are responsible to ensure their vehicles and drivers are meeting the safety requirements defined in the Motor Vehicle Act, including adhering to maximum hours of service for their drivers, recording trip inspections, maintaining records of any driver infractions and ensuring their vehicles are inspected as required and properly maintained.

Mi Joo Tour & Travel will not be allowed to operate its buses in Canada until it can demonstrate to the ministry that it has measures in place to ensure its drivers are adhering to the regulations.

CVSE worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on its safety audit of the company.

More later.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.